Where I Was
by stonefielded
Summary: Larissa's life has always been devoted to books, and she loves that feeling when she can explore someone else's world. But when a king has distracted her when she's not supposed to, and a stranger from an unknown place has somewhat landed into the kings and queens' business to deal, she can't believe for once she can actually say herlife is not only a blank page of boredom anymore.


**Hi everyone! It's so good to finally get this posted. But I don't know if you guys will like this. I'm sorry if there are some grammar mistakes, english is not really my first language so.**

**I've always loved Edmund, he is my favorite character. This story is set after Prince Caspian, the Pevensies decided to stay with Caspian and it's been two years since then. **

**For those who don't like my story, please just keep it to yourself. I know my writing is bad, but nah. The story will definitely be good.**

**Edmund/OC/OC**

* * *

**Chapter 1**

He tiptoed in the hallway, not wanting to wake everyone up.

The sound of his toes against the floor bars really was making a loud noise. At least that was what he thought at five in the morning under the dim lights of the hallway.

He hugged himself tighter with his sleeping robe and kept his eyes on guard for any possible shadows ahead.

"_Ouch!_" he hissed as someone slapped the back of his head, "Will you stop doing that?!"

"Doing what?"

"Slapping my head like it means nothing to you!"

"It means something to me."

"It means endless feels of headache for me everyday!"

"Will you stop grumbling?"

"No, because every time I grumble it's because of you, Caspian!"

Caspian only raised his eyebrow playfully as he stared down at Edmund who was shorter a few inches than him, "That sounds like sheer nonsense. I'm the only one who's keeping you sane in this castle for Aslan's sake."

"Are you implying that I'm crazy?"

"No," Caspian replied grinning, "I'm implying that you're losing your mind."

"That's just the same!" Edmund's face was flushed with anger and he waved his hand away in the air to dismiss the argument. If he didn't, this would take his whole day's energy.

"Giving up so soon?" Caspian teased and walked pass him. His sleeping robe brushed Edmund's gently.

"I'm not. I just don't want to wake up everyone else because you're bickering too much." Edmund followed him soon after, catching up with Caspian's long steps. He had to admit sometimes Edmund had to do a little run just to keep his pace the same as Caspian's though. He was a little embarrassed sometimes.

"_Us_ you mean."

"No. Just you. I don't want our names to be put in a word _us_."

"Because you don't want to share anything with me?"

Edmund swiveled his head at Caspian and widened his eyes, like Caspian just read his entire mind and said it out loud in one simple sentence, "_Exactly!_"

"You know sometimes you can be so mean, Ed."

Every morning Edmund tried to wake up earlier than everyone else just so he could get some tea and fined bread that he could have in the library while he was reading. It was peaceful at dawn, more peaceful than any other time when he could see Lucy running around the castle like she was going to break her legs off, or seeing Caspian literally everywhere he went and if Caspian spotted Edmund, who knew what could happen to Edmund's head. Caspian always loved that, slapping Edmund's head whenever he encountered with Edmund.

Edmund didn't know when it started, it just happened.

Peter and Susan were the grown up ones. Compare to Caspian who was a year older than Peter even, Peter was the more mature one. Even Susan was shaking her head whenever she saw Caspian doing something immature. Edmund liked Caspian because deep down, Edmund knew Caspian was just like him. He wanted to be free of anything and dig up as much knowledge as he could. Peter, on the other hand was the one building the boundaries for him and Caspian. Caspian was wise, but everyone knew Peter was wiser.

"Aren't you tired? Sneaking out every time you just want to get some earlier breakfast than everyone else?" Caspian finally asked when they turned at the corner and the door of the kitchen was visible, "Susan isn't going to kill you for feeding up yourself you know."

"It's not sneaking out," Edmund sighed exasperated, "It's called 'not wanting to wake up everyone.'"

"Why don't just have your meals ordered to the library then?"

"Because I want to make them myself?" that sounded more like a question than a statement to Edmund himself, "Why do you care? And what are you doing this early?"

"I couldn't sleep." They got into the kitchen together and Edmund started making some tea, thinking Caspian would want one. There were a few dryads already cooking for the meals of the day and they nodded and greeted at both Edmund and Caspian. Both kings returned their greetings warmly and back talking to each other.

Edmund was standing pouring the tea into the cups, his back was facing Caspian who already sat on the chair, "Why? You're the biggest sleepy head I've ever known and now you're stating you couldn't sleep? I can't believe I'm hearing this."

"Is that title supposed to be yours?"

"I knew Peter told you I snored when I was sleeping in his room!" Edmund said. He walked to Caspian who was chuckling and gave him a cup of the tea and sat on the char in front of him, "So, what's the matter?"

Caspian took a small sip of his tea and Edmund could see the bags under Caspian's eyes were darker this time. Or it was just a shadow of the tea cup? But Edmund was sure there was something nagging inside him. Something Caspian wouldn't tell yet.

Caspian looked tired day by day. Edmund knew Peter was giving Caspian a hard time about dealing with this country, making the best foundation they could make. The five of them were building what once they had, but it would take time. Peter on the other hand, refused to deal with the fact that it had been only two years since their return and he wanted to fix everything fast. Caspian just couldn't keep up.

"I was at the harbor the other day," Caspian started, "There was a ship from southeast-"

"Calormen?"

"Yes," Caspian answered his breath getting heavy, "It was fine and everything was going under control. We got our things and they came perfectly normal. The wine is good as always."

Edmund started patting his fingers against the table, waiting for something interesting from the story, the core of it - the cause that made Caspian looked so nervous and thoughtful, "So?"

"So," Caspian continued, bringing his head front, closing their distance and lowering his voice so no one could hear what he was about to say, "There was this man. He was loading the galloons to our deck. But he didn't look like a calormene. In fact, he looked just like you and Peter. White, with faded blond hair. And his body was built as well. Like he has been working for it."

"And he came with the other calormenes?"

"Yes. And everyone but him looks like calormenes. He didn't. He was like a lost shining diamond in a pile of pig's wash."

Edmund snorted at the last statement, "Nobody noticed?"

No one was going to make an eye contact with calormenes in the harbor even when they were doing business. Calormenes who come and go at the harbor tend to be more harsh, careless. They just wanted some things like food and weapons supplies they could get from Narnia and took off to whatever journey was ahead. They also had been shipping their goods to Narnia, now that their relations were at peace. Narnia had settled things between other countries nearby, setting peace all over the land as one of the most important things for building the best foundation for their country.

"Everyone noticed, Edmund, don't be stupid," Caspian said, "I talked to him."

Edmund choked on his tea, "You _talked_ to him?"

"I was curious. He didn't look frightening or anything at all. So I had to. He said he wasn't from around Calormen. He was passed to one house to another, all his life, an _orphan_. He ran away at some point and got to Calormen. The only thing that makes him stuck doing the job as a merchant seaman is because he wants to move _here._"

"To Narnia?"

Caspian nodded.

"Why didn't he just do so?"

"He just needs some time to collect the money so he could live here peacefully. He is in so much debts to the Calormen's government."

"How much?"

"Not much for us, but for him, it's a big burden for his entire life," Caspian paused and looked intently at Edmund, "That's what has been keeping me up. I'm trying to find a way to tell Peter this."

Edmund's eyes widened in shock, "You're not going to bail him out or anything, are you?"

"It's worth the risk." Caspian shrugged.

"He is a stranger. You know nothing about him but what he told you. What if it was a lie? What if he wanted you to do this and then steal away the money?"

"I said it was worth the risk, Ed. Have a little heart for the suffer will you?"

Edmund stood up and grabbed his plate abruptly, "Tell that to the suffer."

* * *

Before the sun was set, Larissa put her red cloak around her, wrapping her body perfectly like she was some sort of a candy. She looked like a candy whenever she put that red cloak on though.

It was her favorite from all of her things. The finest she had.

It was given by her mom when she turned seventeen a couple of months ago and she knew her smile lit up like a christmas tree when she caught the first sight of it.

"Mom, I'm going to Randalf's!" Larissa shouted from the front door.

"Randalf's?" her mom's voice came from the kitchen and soon her head popped out from the left side of the wall that divided the empty space before the front door and the kitchen, "It's six in the morning!"

"I'm just dropping up some breakfast and go get some books. I've told him I'd come today at this time."

"Alright, come back when you're done. Dom't give him a hard time Larissa, he's a busy man!"

The bread smelled good and it was always this good. Her mom was a great baker and she hoped someday she could master how to bake just like her mother. She wasn't good yet but she was reaching to that level.

Randalf's house was just a ten minutes walk from her house. She loved to go to Randalf's house, found it a comfortable place to just sit around and read books. Piles of them.

Randalf owned a bookshop.

It was the only bookshop in Narnia and everyone loved that bookshop. Ever since the kings and queens return, they were doing fine rebuilding this land up. They allowed people from the outside to come live in Narnia, as long as they didn't seek trouble. Ever since then, Larissa, her mother, and her sister were living in peace. Her mom was a bakery and they could afford most of their things well. Sometimes Larissa helped Randalf in the bookshop and got herself a little gift from him. She brought a lot of two weeks groceries the first day, and ever since then her mom took care of Larissa's money just so she wouldn't spend all of it on wheat flours her mom already had for at least a year of baking. Larissa only put a pile more for another year.

The door of the bookshop chimed when she came in. She always liked that little thing.

It wasn't a big bookshop for the only one standing in Narnia, but it had rows of shelves full with books - any kinds of books you wanted to look for. The walls were painted with faded orange - almost creamy - and the cashier was right in the middle of the room. It was dim inside. The only windows the bookshop had were the two display windows where the word 'Randalf's Bookshop' was painted on it with a green paint. Behind the windows were of course, the displays of the new arrival books. Authors from all around the country.

But the best selling ones were of course always by King Edmund.

She had bought all of his books and so far she was impressed. _The Longest Journey_ was by far her favorite. It told about a girl who was quested to save her best friend. The part where she rode a dragon was mind-blowing.

Larissa wondered if she could see a real dragon in her life. But her mom would definitely chop her head off before the dragon ever did.

"In here red head!"

"Randalf?" Larissa wondered through the section of "Food & Health" row and found the old man standing between the steps of a ladder, arranging books as usual.

"You don't know how children these days, they ruined all the alphabetical order!" he grumbled above her and turned his head down to give a warm smile as usual, "well, you're an exception red head."

"I'm not a red head. My hair is not even red. It's brown." Larissa said and rolled her eyes.

"Ah, but your hoodie is red."

"Wha-" Larissa said and puffed her cheeks out, "it doesn't count Randalf!"

The old man only chuckled ever so slightly and climbed down the steps. He was big compared to Larissa but not any taller. Randalf used to tell her bed stories back when she was eight. They had been friends and neighbours ever since Miraz' years of ruling and had moved a few times until they settled in one place. Randalf was always helping Larissa's family, knowing the family didn't have a figure of a man to help around, for Larissa and her sister to look up to too.

Randalf was old with grey hair sticking out to thousand directions sometimes Lena, Larissa's sister, called him grandpa. It supported the theory though, since he always wore eyeglasses that always slipped down his nose, and his stomach was big. He ate a lot, sometimes Larissa felt guilty she was the one bringing him all the best fine food.

But who was she kidding? The food was great!

"Let me help you Randalf, you look tired. You know you can always call me for help." Larissa put the basket she had been holding down on the piles of books and took the books Randalf was holding from the shelf above.

"You've helped too much. I'm ashamed at myself, I'm not as energic as you anymore."

"I like working around here. Don't worry."

"It does seem you're taking over the ownership of this bookshop though." Randalf joked and grabbed the basket, "this smells good every time."

"I know right? I could hear my stomach grumbling all the way here. Come on, come on, I can't wait to taste the pancakes!" she dragged him by the arm.

"You made pancakes?" Randalf raised his eyebrow.

They only made pancakes on special occasions for some reason Larissa's mom made. Larissa had tried to make pancakes of her own but it always turned out not as good. She just needed more practice, but she was too copped up with working in the bookshop and reading, she didn't have time to learn to bake anymore. She wasn't sure it was even her passion from the first place. She just wanted to read, and get lost in somebody's world because she thought hers wasn't too adventurous anymore now that everything was in peace.

The smell of the pancakes swarmed their nostrils all together and they both laughed when they realized they were doing it, sniffing it, smelling it down their lungs before they eat them all without anything even left.

Larissa spent a few hours there just helping around, arranging some books in order again (after it was all messed up by some children coming here the other day and as usual didn't want to put them in its place again). She didn't mind though. She always believed customers were always right. Right?

Except those children never bought anything.

The front door chimed and for a moment Larissa thought Randalf had put the 'open' sign on. But when she peeked out through the gaps of the shelf, Randalf hadn't. But she did see who was coming.

King Edmund.

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**Tell me what you think :D**


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